Finding the Possibility
by Castlecnd
Summary: It was late, but Beckett had a skip in her step as she walked down the street towards the restaurant where she knew Castle would be waiting for her. She was twisting her hair around her finger with a shy smile across her glowing face as she noticed the time on her father's watch. She picked up her pace and ducked down a side street. What's waiting will tear her apart.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Castle, though I guess I own this story line...**

**A/N: **

**This is set around the middle of season 6 and it's my first fan fiction so cut me some slack**

**Just to warn you, although this doesn't have any M content this deals with fairly mature subject matter, but it's such a huge problem with our society and I think that increasing awareness is a crucial aspect of reducing this as a problem and this is something people from every age group should be aware of. I hate spoilers, so I'll leave it at that.**

* * *

It was late, but Beckett had a skip in her step as she walked down the street towards the restaurant where she knew Castle would be waiting for her. She was twisting her hair around her finger with a shy smile across her glowing face as she noticed the time on her father's watch. She picked up her pace and ducked down a side street. This would cut 5 minutes off the normally 20 minute walk she would take from the precinct to The Old Haunt where she was planning on meeting him.

She could tell they were drunk from their loud bantering far before the cat calls and wolf whistles started. She rolled her eyes and stiffened her posture, knowing from experience the leering she was in for. She had no doubt she could take one or two of these idiots, but five made her nervous. She wanted to look good for him tonight, though. Her short dress was tight around a cushioned bra and her perfectly toned behind. Her plan: grace him with the news and fall into multiple rounds of celebratory love making. She bit her nail and swung her head down shyly at the thought. She knew he was going to be overjoyed with her decision. Her smile grew before,

"Hey baby, how much do you cost?" brought her back to the present. One of the five men approaching her asked her this. His eyes were glazed over but still dark with desire as he blatantly ogled her no-so-discreetly hidden bust.

'Yeah, I'm not interested" she nonchalantly replied. She was already regretting not throwing on something to cover herself up with until she got to The Old Haunt. The men were buff, their clothes torn and dirty from a long night partying. Kate noted the crusted blood that splattered one man's clothes as he held a bloody cloth out from his face, inspecting it for signs of continual bleeding. Deciding his nose had stopped leaking, he threw the cloth at one of his companions who laughed in disgust and returned the favour with a punch in the gut.

"Rickie, yous an asshole." nose guy grunted. Kate's ears pricked at the name 'Rickie', heart skipping a beat before realizing that it belonged to this rat of a man. She nervously laughed to herself and made a note to tease Castle about his namesake later.

"Is your name Miley Syrup *hic* Cyrus? Cuz you can wreck my balls", jeered another man whose attention was caught by Kate's deliciously long legs. He stumbled closer to her, face in hers so her nose was overwhelmed with the stench of alcohol and sweat. He looked down her dress and she nearly gagged as the other men laughed and threw out their own rounds of drunken pickup lines. Her heart started to pound and her breath quickened as she became alarmed to the sudden lack of traffic in the area. Kate went to stride past the group of men in an attempt at confidence. She unconsciously rubbed her thighs together to comfort herself with the knowledge that she had her gun and cuffs with her before quickly realizing she had left them at the precinct. These men were different from others who usually hit on her, she could tell now that nose guy and 'Rickie' were not nearly as drunk as they made out to be and it shook her up. The tattooed man and a short buff guy were inebriated beyond anything she had seen from a conscious person before. The last man in the group looked nearly sober, but it was the unquenchable hunger in his eyes that drew ice to her veins.

"Hey, I uzz talkin' a youu" the tattooed man stepped in front of her, blocking her path, before stumbling back and catching himself on the wall.

"NYPD detective, you might wanna watch your paws" Kate snapped as the short buff guy made a grab for her breast. Her breath quickened and hands shook as tattoo face and the buff guy began to fill her personal space, jostling her and stroking everything from her ass to her hair.

"Well you can cuff m…" he whispered in her ear before turning violently puking against the wall. Kate fought a shudder pulling her cell from her bra to call for help and to report this unrestrained show of public intoxication only to have tattoo face knock it from her trembling hand.

"Common lady, Stevie here uz jus tryin' a have little fun" he slurred bringing his face towards her for a sloppy kiss before she grabbed his arm and shoved him violently against the brick of the wall and growled,

"You do not want to get on the bad side of a highly regarded NYPD detective." The man in her grips struggled uncomfortably, too drunk to register the pain of her actions.

"Thas hot." was his reply. The other men laughed and grunted their approvals but she barely heard them for the deafening pound of blood in her ears. Her fingers tingled and her eyes became blurry at the edges as adrenalin rushed through her system. She needed to establish control over the situation. She saw Steve had finished spewing his guts and he barely reached out to touched her again before she had him eating cement, spine hard under the compression of her knee while tattoo face lay passed out after tripping and landing on his back when she released him. Kate was reaching for where her phone had fallen when she felt a sharp pain the the back of her skull and everything went black.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This was tough to write, just a bit of a warning - this might be hard for you to read if you have some personal history with this kind of thing.**

* * *

Kate woke up gasping, the gag around her mouth making it difficult to breath. She felt her hands duct taped above her head and a mattress below her body. She pulled painfully against her arm restraints but found that they wouldn't budge. Kate froze as she sensed someone nearby. The cool blade of the knife running along her body barely registered through the deafening rip of her dress fabric.

* * *

Rick sighed as he sat down at the back of The Old Haunt. His bum squished into the comfortable seat as he pulled out his phone. The screen was cool as he slid his thumb across opening the Minecraft app. He knew that Beckett could take a while, being the workaholic she was.

* * *

Kate heard muffled screaming coming from her mouth before her face burned from a blow so hard blood filled her mouth accompanied by pieces of tooth. Her head pounded. Her heart raced. Her muscles clenched in fear.

* * *

Rick called out to a bartender and was greeted with a smile and raised eyebrows as if to ask, "the usual?" Rick nodded. He smiled at the empty seat in front of him, his heart swelling at the thought that they would have forever together.

* * *

Her mind told her body to fight, but the rough hands invading her caused her muscles to turn to stone. Her eyes were wide with panic and pleading as she found the eyes of her assailant. Tattoo Face had his unfocused eyes fixed on her nearly exposed chest the entire time he used her body. Half way through he reached over and ripped her bra off. He cared not for the bleeding marks the force of his actions left on her torso, simply rushing to get the job done. Her lungs were the only muscle cursed with movement. They constantly emptied themselves shrilly into the air, each sound bringing a new round of fists to her delicate skin.

* * *

Rick had moved from Minecraft to Plants Vs. Zombies 2 and his whole body tensed with concentration as he defeated a wave of Pharaoh Zombies. He vaguely registered someone sitting across from him and muttered, "hey Beckett… Dammit!" As a zombie ate through his peashooter. He glanced up and did a double take as he was surprised with a weeping Alexis in front of him.

* * *

It wasn't until Tattoo Face had passed out beside her that she gained the mental capacities to fight her binds.

* * *

Castle locked his phone and placed it beside him, face down, before asking, "what's the matter pumpkin?"

"Pi" was all she got out before she burst into another round of tears.

* * *

She had managed to sit up in bed and was working on the binding around her wrists when the door to the dark basement slammed open. Her heart grew heavy with despair as she recognized Steve, Rickie and Miley Man from the ally. Their eyes were hungry as they approached her like a lion would an injured gazelle.

"Look at this whore," sneered Steve.

"The slut's tryin'a get away," Miley Man laughed drunkenly.

"Only if we say so, Max," Rickie jeered, coming closer and hovering beside her ear before whispering, "deep 'n' slow, tramp".

Kate brought her leg up between his legs with as much force as she could muster. Rickie yelped and collapsed on the ground, tears in his eyes as he grabbed his sensitive area.

"Oh, you'll pay for that," Steve threatened, stepping closer. She whipped another leg out slamming the heel of her foot into his shin which caught him off balance. Her other leg swung behind his and Steve landed flat on his back with a large thud. Max had grabbed a knife from his back pocket and was about to approached her when the door swung open and he froze.

* * *

Rick got up from his seat and moved to the other booth to sit beside his heartbroken daughter. His heart was heavy as she finished telling him about her break up. He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a loving kiss on the crown of her head. It was a nurturing sight, to see them together. It would have softened the heart of any criminal. Rick fought back any snide remarks about how he had predicted the breakup, and Alexis was grateful.

* * *

She hadn't gotten a good look at this man before and now she was looking into his face, she had a deep sense of recognition. Her eyes pricked with tears of betrayal before scathing anger coursed through her veins. He grabbed the knife from Max's hand and started towards her. She lashed her legs, trying to get in any sort of blow before his nod brought Rickie and Steve to restrain them. Her hips bucked and torso twisted until the blade of the knife pressed sharply into her neck, droplets of blood making their way down her throat.

* * *

Rick recognized the look on his daughter's face as one he had shared in his breakup with Gina. "I'm sorry," he murmured into Alexis' hair. "I should have warned you about this."

"You tried dad," She sat back suddenly thoughtful, "this is something I needed in order to grow as a person. I mean, it's hard to see it now, but I will. I'll need to." A lump grow in the back of his throat as he proudly gazed at his grown up daughter.

* * *

Kate fought against these man harder than she had tattoo face, her recognition of Rigo convincing her that this wasn't just some horrible dream. He made small cuts across her body, causing her to scream in pain. He took her violently, pain ripping through her. The other men had the audacity to watch and laugh and jeer and encourage. Anger, no, hurt shone in his eyes as removed the gag and leaned down to kissed her, stuffing his tongue down her throat. She bit down until his blood filled her mouth and he pulled away yelling as she sputtered. All she could smell was his sour cologne.

* * *

Putting his arm around her shoulder, Rick sighed and grabbed the glass of scotch that the bartender had placed before him.

"Drink this," he said to her.

"Seriously?" she questioned, doubtfully raising her eyebrow. Rick laughed and nudged it towards her. She took a sip, "thank Dad." He looked into her eyes, and sensing that the thanks was heavier than one required for a drink and stated, "your welcome" with as much seriousness as he had conveyed in ages.

* * *

It was 5 minutes of sheer torture before she caved, the tears flowing down her face the only indication of consciousness as her body went limp. They used all of her, everywhere. Each passing second lasting longer and longer as the puddle of tears soaked the mattress by her head. She prayed for death.

* * *

Rick sat with his daughter making small talk about his day and about wedding details, trying to distract her from her pain. His heart was broken with hers. However, the minutes began to pass more quickly as he began to see a glimpses of smiles on her face. She was going to be okay.

* * *

The men slowly began to pass out around her, Steve crushing her chest as he rested his face upon it. Hours went by and her silent tears slowly became quiet weeping and the weeping violent sobbing as fear coursed through her veins. Tattoo Face stirred beside her throwing his arm over his eyes and groaning before quickly sitting up and taking in the scene in front of him. When he saw Kate his eyes widened in fear and horror.

Kate's eyes flew open as she heard the scraping of the knife on the ground as Tattoo Face picked it up. Her whole body started violently shaking as he walked towards her whispering, "it's okay, shh. It's okay." He reached above her head and ripped open the restraints on her wrists. Grabbing a blanket from off of Rigo, he shoved Steve off of her and covered her. He reached down and gently picked up her shaking body. She grasped her hands together over her chest and turned her head away from him, not having the strength to fight anymore. He carried her to a door she didn't know was there and brought her up a flight of stairs. The dim light at the top of the staircase did little to illuminate her surroundings, but her eyes were clenched shut, awaiting the impending round of torture she was convinced she would face. "It's okay, shh. It's okay," was the only thing Tattoo Face said, but he murmured them over and over again. She heard a car door open, and felt herself being placed in the backseat.

* * *

Rick turned his phone over absentmindedly in his hand. Alexis and him had become entirely engrossed in a conversation that spanned goblins to Argentina. When he looked at his phone he was shocked to see that 5 hours had gone by. He and Alexis laughed before a panicked look filled his eyes and he breathed, "Where's Beckett?"

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts?**


	3. Chapter 3

"It's two o'clock in the morning Alexis, I was supposed to meet Beckett at nine! Where is she?" Rick explained frantically to a confused Alexis. He glanced around the room and saw that it had transitioned from dinner dates to young people flirting, dancing and sucking face.

"She probably just got caught up with paperwork and went home. You of all people know how hard she works," Alexis tried to reason.

Rick doubtfully nodded and picked up his phone to call her. Not a ten minute walk away Beckett's phone rang, abandoned by the side of the road. Rick's heart quickened when he heard it go to voice mail. He automatically assumed the worst, convincing himself that she had gotten called out on a case and had been shot.

He expressed these fears to Alexis who replied, "Ryan and Esposito would have called, Dad. She's fine!" She smirked at him, "Man, you've got it bad." Rick huffed but dialed Esposito anyways.

"This better be good, Castle," was his greeting.

"Sorry, man. Do you know where Beckett is?" Rick hastily asked.

"Naw, she was still at the precinct when I left at like eight. Why?" He replied sleepily.

"She was supposed to meet me here at The Old Haunt five hours ago, but she never showed," Rick explained.

"She's a big girl, Castle, she can handle herself. I gotta go," he groaned but hesitated before he hung up, "She's going to be fine, dude. You know how she is."

"Thanks..." Rick managed before the line went flat.

They hailed a taxi and Rick gave the address of the precinct as Alexis glanced at him, confused at first but then more concerned. His worried fed her own, though she tried to hide them for him. Rick called Beckett's phone again while they rode, but had no luck. When they arrived at the precinct, they were disappointed when Beckett wasn't there.

The stopped by her apartment next, though they both seriously doubted she would be there since she generally spent more time at the loft. They hopped out of the taxi and Rick searched his pocket for his key since the doorman had gone home for the evening. They made their way up the elevator to her apartment and slid inside.

"Dad, this is creepy! She could be sleeping," Alexis hissed.

"Well, she should have called, why would she have forgotten our date?" Was Rick's hasty reply.

Alexis waited uncomfortably by the front door while her father wandered around, softly calling Beckett's name. She looked around while she waited. The apartment was looking fairly sparse as Beckett's things slowly migrated into the Castles' apartment.

Rick's head hung as he slunk back towards her, "She's not here" he whispered. They were the only ones in the room, yet talking loudly would have seemed wrong. Alexis gave her dad a hug and leaned into his side as they made their way down to the street.

By the time they arrived at the loft, Rick had left countless messages for his fiance. They started concerned but became annoyed, fear shaking his voice. They checked the whole apartment together, room by room but came up empty. The two of them made their way to the living room and sat on the couch. Rick pulled out his phone to call Esposito again but Alexis stopped him and looked him in the eyes,

They can't do anything, Dad, it's the middle of the night and she's not even officially missing. We could go out and searched the millions of New York City streets for her, or we could get a couple of hours of sleep and be fresh in the morning. She could be with a number of people and there are a million reasons why she's not picking up her phone."

Rick slowly nodded his head but clenched her hand, trying not to think of the bodies they'd come across over the years or the fact that 3XK was still out there. He pried his eyes away from hers and towards the phone. Gingerly setting it on the table, he sucked in his breath and slowly sat deeper into the couch, pulling Alexis into his side. Eventually the two of them fell into a fitful sleep. Rick clinging to his daughter, his face distraught as his dreams filled with blood, murder and ringing cellphones.

* * *

As the adrenaline wore off with the gentle sway of the car, shock set into Kate's system. Her body slowly stopped shaking and became lifeless. By the time Tattoo Face had reached the hospital, the only place he could think to bring her, her hazel eyes had rolled back into her head and her breaths were short and shallow.

He dragged her from his back seat and carried her to the ambulance bay where he lay his forehead on hers and whispered, "I'm sorry," tears streaming down his face. He placed her down outside the doors and quickly hopped in his car, tires squealing in his effort to get away.

Kate woke up in the hospital bed hours later. The nurse was checking her chart and switching her fluids when she noticed Kate's eyes fluttering. "Oh sweetie," she cooed, tears in her eyes, "It's lovely to see you awake."

The nurse was older, maybe in her 60's. She had a kind face and a plump stomach that was oddly comforting and motherly. Kate tried sitting up but collapsed from the pain, the effort leaving her gasping. "What happened?" she croaked, squeezing her eyes before gazing into the heavens in an effort to conceal her hurt.

"I'll call the doctor and she'll fill you in. First thing's first, can you tell me what your name is?" the woman gently asked, passing her a glass of water, "And your emergency contact information." Kate took a sip and drowsily gave her name and Castle's number.

The woman smiled sadly, "Thank you, my name is Olivia by the way. If you need anything, and I mean anything, please let me know." Kate smiled weakly back as Olivia left the room to find the doctor.

A couple of minutes later two women walked into the room. "It's good to see you awake, Ms Beckett. I'm Dr. Night, I've been taking care of your physical health. This is Dr. Thayer, a psychologist," the taller woman greeted, shutting the door behind them.

Kate had been examining her body and jumped when she heard the voice, "Sorry, I guess I'm a bit on edge. Can you tell me what happened? How long have I been here?"

"What can you remember?" Dr. Thayer asked softly before they took a seat beside her bed.

Kate's eyes drifted to her wrists as she thought. "I remember walking to The Old Haunt last night," she started slowly, "It _was_ last night, right?" She looked up alarmed. Dr. Night nodded solemnly. Kate looked relieved and continued, "I was running late so I cut down a side street and there were these men." Kate unintentionally shuddered. "they were so drunk. They got up close and physical with me," Kate drew in a shaky breath, "I was going to call it in but then everything went black." she paused, "That's all I remember." Kate's voice dropped as she slid her fingers around the raw skin surrounding her wrists. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Why was I tied up? Why did they beat me? Was I drugged? Why don't I remember?"

The two doctors looked at each other and Dr. Thayer opened her mouth to reply, but Kate kept on, "I'm a cop, you know? So I can handle myself. it must have been the case I was working on. I'm a homicide detective you know," Kate's breathing quickened and the heart rate monitor started to beep more quickly as her rambling came faster and more distressed.

"Kate, Kate look at me," Dr. Thayer spoke calmly but forcefully, "Look where you are, you're safe. You're in a hospital." Kate's wide eyes flitted around before finding Dr. Thayer's. "From what we can tell due to your injuries," Started Dr. Night, "you were beaten, so we ran some tests and looked for signs of rape." Kate stilled as a flash of tongue down her throat leaped into her memory. She was suddenly aware of the pain that coursed through her sex. Her head fell backwards as the doctor continued.

"The tests came back positive so we collected the DNA samples and checked for sexually transmitted infections." Kate turned her face away from the two women and felt tears brimming in her eyes. "We'll need you to come back for check ups regularly over the next couple of months." Dr. Night stood, "We'll get the results from the most recent tests in a couple of days. I'm going to come back and check on you in a couple of hours." She turned to leave before halting and quietly adding, "You're a fighter, Kate." and leaving the room.

Kate didn't say a word for the next twenty minutes as Dr. Thayer gently explained a future filled with the emotional repercussions she was likely to face and gave her information on support groups and permanent psychologists. Kate's face remained emotionless until after it had crusted from dried tears. Her eyes were focused on the gentle pattering of rain on the window, the doctors words falling on deaf ears.

When Dr. Thayer got up to leave, Kate quietly cleared her throat. Thayer paused and Kate whispered, "Don't…" She glanced at her wrists before looking into the doctor's eyes "Don't tell my family. When they come, don't tell them. And can you ask Dr. Night to do the same?"

Thayer hesitated before nodding, "You'll tell them though?"

"Yeah," Kate lied, "I will."

* * *

The ringing phone woke Rick and Alexis with a start. He lunged towards it and answered. It was an unknown number but he breathed, "Kate?" into the speaker regardless.

"Hello, is this Mr. Richard Castle?" came from the other end of the phone. Tears started to stream down his face as he cleared his throat and softly said, "Yes."

"I'm calling about Katherine Beckett. We understand that you're her fiance?" A woman on the line asked.

"Yes, is she…" He couldn't force the last word out of his mouth.

"She's alive, Mr. Castle, but we would like you to come into the hospital to discuss the details."

A whoosh of air expelled from Rick's lungs and relief plastered his face. Alexis took his hand and squeezed it.

"If you could make your way to New York Grace Hospital that would be great. Reception will know where she is."

"Thank you," Rick whispered before hanging up.

They arrived at the hospital thirty minutes later after jumping in the shower and changing into fresh clothes. Rick bounced his leg on the taxi ride over and was constantly checking his phone for new messages. Though Alexis tried to distract him with small talk, his mind was full of images of Beckett. She looks like Swiss Cheese in one, and was missing both legs and an arm in another. He cursed his writer's brain for having an overactive imagination.

By the time they arrived at the hospital his heart was thumping loudly and he was out of breath despite the lack of physical activity. Alexis guided her father to reception and found that Beckett was in room 4017.

Dr. Night met them as they stepped off the elevator. "You must be Mr. Castle," she started, holding out her hand, "Dr. Night, Kate's physician." Rick shook her hand and nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Katherine has been the victim of what we believe is a mugging gone wrong," Night easily lied, "She's shook up, but should be fine to see you. Try keeping the physical contact down to a minimum, her injuries cover a large part of her body."

Rick's eyes widened as he nodded. He followed the doctor to room 4017 where she gently knocked and slowly opened the door.

Rick suck in his breath as he took her in.

Her eyes filled with fear as she identified him as male rather than the love of her life.

He winced as she saw her beautiful right eye swollen shut, the other one had blue stitches running over the eyebrow and along the side of her face. He felt sick as the purple lump on her forehead appeared to grow before his eyes and he took in the crusted blood that stretched from either side of where her lips met back towards her ear where the gag had rubbed her skin raw. Her usually defined cheekbone had been covered by bandages, but he could tell that it had swelled to nearly twice the size. Her throat had ghastly purple hand marks around them as well as a shallow cut which was eclipsed by the length of stitches that ran across her collarbone.

Rick's concentration was only broken by the heart rate monitor which had begun to beep more quickly. He took two bounds towards her only to have it sky rocket as she slunk in her bed and braced herself for more punishment.

The only thing she could see as she looked at him was the vague faces of the men who had hurt her. As she saw him approach, her mind's eye placed a knife in his hand. She was sure he had come back to finish her. She would be dead now, but she didn't want to die anymore. She wanted to live and feel the sun on her back and see the smile on Castle's face every time they solved a case together.

Castle's face fell as he saw the reaction she had. She was afraid of him. He didn't understand.

Dr. Night stepped forward and took Rick by the arm, guiding him to a chair beside her bed. "Just talk to her, and make sure your daughter is with you, she should help. Remind her where she is and that she is safe." Rick looked hurt and confused, "But she's afraid of me…" he trailed off, "Why is she afraid of me? What happened to her?"

Alexis had stood by the door for the entire ordeal, afraid to go in and afraid to go away. It scared her that this strong role model could be so broken. She listened to what the doctor had said and resolved to stay. She made her way tentatively towards Beckett and gently touched her perfect hands. "Kate," she started softly and knelt down to her eye level, "Kate, look at me. It's Alexis. I'm here, you're safe." She cooed.

Kate looked into the big blue eyes of the young girl and grounded herself in them. She let out a small sob and wound her fingers through Alexis' before closing her eyes and turning her head away.

The young girl glanced back at her father and saw him slouched over, fists in his eyes, tears dripping down his face. She tightened her shoulders and straightened her back, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill over her lids.

The three of them sat there for what seemed like hours listening to the rain hit the window. None of them spoke, none of them moved, all of them cried.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Before you get mad, I don't think that the way women dress makes the responsible in anyway for sexual assault, but I thought it would be something Beckett would struggle with.**

**Happy reading.**

**(#wearewinter GO CANADA GO - winter Olympics for the win!)**

* * *

The mostly steady beeping of the machine was the tempo in the three minds, it's consistency was comforting and they all hung on to it as they became absorbed in their thoughts.

She felt used, a sense of worthlessness washed over her, an irrational thought eating through her brain. Would Castle even want her anymore? She had let them rape her, hadn't she? She had cheated on him. The sense of shame was overcoming. She looked over to him and found his breaths hitching when he inhaled, his face covered by his large hands.

Kate didn't want to tell them that she was full of guilt. The feeling of responsibility was crushing. She told herself that she was trained to protect herself and as a result the blame was hers. The dress she was wearing had been far too revealing and walking alone at night was plain stupid. She brought it on herself, really. Her eyebrows furrowed painfully and she winced.

She had always looked at her naturally slim stature as a blessing, grateful that she wouldn't have to struggle through weight issues like so many women. Sometimes she had doubts, she would pinch her skin and loath the bearclaw she had accepted from Castle that morning, or the whispers of cruel women that she was anorexic made their way into her psyche and she would purge on chinese. But every other woman had the same problems in their own variation. She looked down her body, the first tear slipping down her face as she remembered the way the men had cupped her ass so animalistically. They began to spill as she harshly cursed her beautiful figure.

Nausea built against her sore throat as she remembered the way the men's dirty hands swept through her long hair and she grasped Alexis' hand a little tighter, fighting back the vomit that threatened to lurch out of her.

People always said that women who get… who are… she couldn't bring herself to even think the word.

They said women asked for it; it wouldn't have happened if they had dressed more modestly. Kate had never believed those accusations, but now self doubt filled her. She tried to place the blame on someone and her mind was drawing a blank save for herself. How could she blame the men? They were drunk for goodness sakes. They were drunk, right? She thought back to the events of last night as they became increasingly and cursedly clear in her tactically trained cop mind.

The guilt left suddenly as the smell of one of the men unexpectedly filled her nose. She gagged and desperately brought Alexis' wrist to her face, expelling the stench of the man with her scent. Alexis looked up at her in surprise and found her eyes hollow. Kate felt empty. She let her hand go limp in Alexis' and felt her gaze blur as she hopelessly stared at nothing.

Alexis was feeling lost. She was trying to figure out a way to leave her father and Beckett alone. As she saw the agony ripping through Beckett's face and her father crying, having secluded himself on the other side of the room, she couldn't bring herself to get up and make some half hearted excuse. When she felt Beckett's hand tighten, she looked up in surprise and saw that tears had released themselves from the detective's eyes and Alexis was filled with despair that such pain could be so evident from the strong woman.

She looked towards her father for guidance, searching in his posture for something that indicated anything other than the pain of seeing the love of his life so broken.

She felt overwhelmed by the whole situation and had just turned back to Beckett when she was jerked forward in a fit of strength surprising from a woman in her condition. Relief flooded her face like a drug addict getting a hit as Beckett inhaled her scent, her body going limp from the high. Beckett's eyes went dry almost instantaneously and her hand would have fallen if it weren't for Alexis holding it up.

She would have thought Beckett was asleep if it weren't for her open eyes which gazed out at nothing.

Alexis stared at the remarkable woman in front of her, finally feeling she could look without being caught. Kate, she had decided to call her Kate now because this woman in front of her was too vulnerable to be Beckett, looked like she had come from the set of the Walking Dead.

She couldn't, in her wildest imagination, think of what could possess a human being to do this to another human being. To beat them so hard that their cheeks caved in. She now saw that Kate had broken an arm, the white of the cast blending in with the milky sheets.

The smell of overserilization made the experience surreal, somehow Alexis had convinced herself that this had to be some sick joke and tentatively reached over to touch the scar on Kate's eyebrow, wanting to wipe what had to be makeup from her face.

Kate was pulled out of a white abyss where no one existed but the ghost of her mother by a gentle touch over her eye which sent a throbbing in her head. Her eyes widened and a child like, instinctive fear rose from her gut and filled her chest as the innocent woman beside her became a monster before her very eyes. She cowered away, clenching her eyes shut as she attempted to calm the demons inside her.

Alexis yanked her hands away and held them up as if to surrender. Guilt filled her and tears sprung to her eyes as she stood and stumbled backwards, "I'm sorry." she managed, "I didn't… I'm so sorry." she stumbled over her words and her feet as she made her way to the door, "I should leave you two alone." She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, face twisting in an effort to hold back the tears she felt she had no right to release.

Kate's eyes widened more, and the fear in her chest turned to panic as the prospect of being left alone with the man on the other side of the room overrode the fear of the girl in front of her, "Don't." She choked, "Don't leave. Please." The last word a desperate plea breathed in an uncharacteristic show of weakness.

Alexis' breath hitched as she considered the woman and slowly nodded, glancing at her father who had flinched at the words. She hesitantly looked at Kate, who wouldn't meet her eyes, and gingerly stepped back towards the chair where she had been sitting. She angrily wiped away a lone tear on her cheek, resting her hand there for a second before instinctively placing it beside Kate's, there if she wanted it.

It wasn't that he couldn't bare to look at his fiance, her face could be the only one he saw for the rest of his life and he would still never tire of finding new creases and expressions waiting to be understood.

It was that he felt so heavy with sorrow and guilt.

His head rested on his hands because it was to heavy to lift. The tears fell down his face because all of the water in his body had shot to his tear ducts, his heart having taken up too much space.

The image that flashed before his tightly clenched eyes was the fear in Beckett's face as he had started towards her. He refused to think how this fear had been placed in her, instead distracting himself with everything he would give to take her place in that bed.

The thoughts proved to be unhelpful, everything he could think of immediately being dismissed as worthless in the shining glory of the woman.

Castle's pain became hard for him to bare as his thoughts threatened to consume him. He opened his ears and clung to the beeping of the machine, breathing in beep, beep, beep, breathing out beep, beep, beep. This pattern kept him sane, kept his selfish emotions from Beckett, sparing her the best he could.

The words his daughter spoke echoed through his head, though he didn't look up to understand what they meant. It was Kate's 'please' that jerked him from his self wallowing. The desperation so clear in her tone made his heart skip a beat and he looked up to see Alexis walk slowly back towards his love. His eyes caught the hesitant movement of Alexis' hand beside Kate's, and her internal struggle before lightly resting her hand on top of the young girl's.

Castle stood and carefully, quietly made his way to the other side of Kate's bed. His shoulders were hunched, his steps unsure, unsteady. He pulled up a chair and sat mirror to his daughter, offering his hand in support much like his reflection.

Rick saw Kate struggle longer as she eyed his hand in a look so primal, it could have been a cat wearily judging a large dog. She stared at his hand for full minutes, hardly blinking before tearing her gaze away to look down at her injuries. Rick's hand stayed still as Kate's inched towards it. She raised her pinkie and it shook before coming down softly to brush the tip of his index finger. Her touch sent a shiver down his spine making it an effort to remain still.

It took Kate five painstaking minutes before her hand covered Castle's. He waited before he slowly flipped it, palm up. Her hand slid around his and she softly squeezed. Her eyes had been trained on their hands but she glanced up as she did this, not meeting his eye, but still catching him looking at her, surprised at how his gaze on her felt so different from those men's.

It took Kate three hours to crack; before the silent support that oozed from their hands coupled with the crippling emotions that overtook her caused her to speak in a murmur so quiet Rick's ears could hardly register the words. She didn't want to tell them she was full of shame and guilt. She should be able to protect herself, she was trained to do it. She needed to hear that it wasn't her fault, needed to know she was still loveable even if she couldn't believe it. Above all she needed to not be afraid of Castle. She craved his touch, yet his hand in hers sent shudders down her body.

She was drowning in emotion; anger, fear, shame, guilt, pain, distrust, emptiness and violation but at the same time a confusing sense of support, love, comfort and family. Her head spun, she was surrounded now by such a strong sense of these positive emotions that were entirely lacking in the death of her mother.

But the anger quickly ate through any positive. It began directed towards her attackers, but she could feel it branching out to the people she loved, and this scared her more than anything else could have. It was irrational, distasteful anger, but she was entirely too familiar with it. She knew that the anger needed to be controlled before it turned into obsession and pushed away the people she had worked so hard to open herself up to. This knowledge opened her mouth, and the overwhelming love she received from her fiance and his daughter spilled the story from her lips.

"I was so late, Castle. I didn't want to be, but I made a breakthrough on the case. It was-"

"The brother," They both said together, looking at each other in a deeply familiar way that almost made Kate forget her pain.

She averted her eyes quickly and continued, "I turned onto a side street, I didn't even see them at first, Castle." Rick's body relaxed slightly at the familiarity of his name on her lips before he shuddered at her next admission.

"They looked at me like I was meat," she mumbled, "I changed at the precinct. I wanted to look good for you. I was going to tell you…" She trailed off and added an, "Oh" in a voice so weak it could have belonged to a sickly child.

A tremor vibrated through her body as she took a sharp breath. This time when she looked at his concerned blue eyes they held hers strongly in a gaze she thought she could never tear from.

For a second time she went numb as he drew the words out of her, she barely registered the meaning of what split from her mouth, "I stopped taking the pills." She paused, scrunching her brow in confusion of the horrible possibilities it presented her, "I was going to tell you, we were going to use protection until we were ready. I so wanted us to be ready."

He looked confused but soon tensed so tightly a cramp tore through his calf as realization eventually came, a shadow covering his face, "No, Kate, no." He stood and reached his other hand to caress her face but pulled away when he saw fear flow into her eyes as she looked away.

"They raped my, Rick." Kate's voice was strong for this sentence, though her eyes wouldn't meet his.

They heard a sharp intake from Alexis as she looked at Kate's injuries in a whole new light.

Rick pulled his hand from Kate's and balled them up into fists, crouching on the ground and forcing them painfully into his eye sockets. His body shook as he tried to control his anger, instinctively knowing that any violent outburst would only make it harder for Kate to be around him.

Kate watched Castle, eyes puffy, red, and brimming with fresh tears and she saw the admission, a statement that had yet to fully register in Kate's mind, clearly become a shocking reality for the first of them.

Alexis stared at Kate with horrified disbelief as tears welled and dripped over her eyes.

"Rick, shh, Rick. I'm okay." Kate quietly soothed as Castle stilled below her. She reached over to him with her hand and gently ran her fingers through his soft hair.

Castle stilled at her words, removing his fists from his face and slowly clenched and unclenched them before looking up at her and taking her hand in both of his. He tenderly kissed it before leaning towards her and resting his lips on her forehead.

Kate's heart beat faster as she saw Rick approach her, but managed to keep still, the satin kiss washing calm over her body better than any amount of morphine could.

Over the next couple of hours doctors came and went as well as police which took her sparse statement. It was a blur for Kate, the procedure, however, was new for Alexis and Castle and overwhelmed them.

She received an HIV cocktail and the morning after pill which fell the room into an eerie silence.

It was broken by the ringing of Castle's cell, the jingle making them jump and a tense laugh broke from Alexis' mouth before she clamped her hand over it. Beckett smiled at her grateful for the emotional outlet. Castle took out his phone, intending to shut it up, but paused when he saw it was the 12th precinct. He glanced at Kate and showered her the face of his phone so she could see who it was.

She nodded slowly and watched as he brought it up to his ear.

"Castle," he said quietly.

"She's, uh, here with me."

"No," he chuckled softly before soberly continuing, "She's been… she's at the hospital."

"Yeah, she's pretty banged up though."

"Why don't I let you talk to her?"

Castle handed Beckett the phone, mouthing Ryan.

"Hey, Ryan" Kate said softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little banged up, you know. Nothin' that I can't handle."

"I was," she briefly paused, "mugged, it was stupid. I didn't have my gun with me, or my badge. Rookie mistake."

"Thanks Ryan, the doctor said I should be fine to come home later tonight, as long as I can keep solids down and my meds can be managed orally. I'm not sure when I'll be back at work though."

She let out a small laugh, "Pretty bad, but I think it looks worse than it is."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that. I was going to get Castle to, but if you could drop by, Martha should be able to pick some out."

"Thanks Ryan, I'll see ya soon."

She finished the call and handed it back to Castle, indicating for him to call his mother.

"He and Espo are gonna pick up Martha and a change of clothes for me before heading over here. They'll arrive in about an hour." She hesitated, taking her time to look in each of their eyes, "I don't wanna tell anyone else."

They solemnly nodded. She closed her eyes and wiped her hand tersely along her thigh.

"Thank you" she tentatively added, her voice choked with emotion.

And so they sat, hand in hand, thinking of the innocence of yesterday and hoping for a better tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts?**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Enjoy :)

* * *

"Castle," Kate said suddenly, mild urgency laced through her tone. He started at the noise having drifted off into his own little world. She waited until his eyes focused on hers before continuing, "Gimme your phone."

Castle wordlessly reached into his pocket and drew out the device, handing it to her. She gave Alexis' hand a quick squeeze, used her thumbs to dial a number, and brought the phone up to her ear.

"I'm calling my dad." She explained, hesitating before quietly asking, "May I have some privacy please?" She averted her eyes, embarrassed at the request.

Castle nodded and cleared his throat, "Yeah, of course," they stood and made their way out of the room. Alexis left to get coffee while he stationed himself outside the room by the window, unwilling, unable to tear his eyes away from her for even a minute. The sight of her tore his heart in half, he felt like sinking to his knees and weeping passionately but he also felt an unfamiliar, sickening anger towards the men that did this to her. She looked inches from death, the bruises covering her arms, neck, and plunging down her chest under her gown had turned a ghastly yellow and some were verging on green. Daggers struck his heart to know that it must be worse on her torso, judging from her shallow breathing and the frequency the nurses came to check on her. He and his daughter hadn't looked as they examined her, knowing that she valued her privacy and pride. He felt anger growing, eating him, his face dyed red, his closed fists shaking from tension. He was losing control, he could tell, so he found her eyes, looking tiredly out the window facing outside, and ground himself in them.

He saw her faint smile and the curve of her mouth as she spoke. Though she kept her face gentle, her eyes spoke of a greater pain. He analyzed every line on her face, each revealing her thoughts through her conversation. The talk was brief, but Castle would have given an arm and a leg to be a fly on the wall. he didn't understand their relationship; it was so different from the one he shared with is daughter. He didn't understand how they could communicate so much with so few words or be so comforted by simply each other's presence, even on the phone. In retrospect is was a similar relationship that Kate shared with him, but he knew that a bond between father and daughter shares no comparison.

Finally, it seemed like ages for Castle, she lowered the phone from her ear and, ending the call, cradled it gently in her hands. He made to enter the room but paused, deciding to wait for Alexis so she would feel safer. He became transfixed on her face, watching it evolve into a state of determined resolve and by the time Alexis returned five minutes later, juggling three coffees in her hands, Castle could tell that weepy, hurt, broken Kate had been replaced by resilient, stubborn, selfless Beckett. At least for now. When he and Alexis entered the room again, the somber mood was gone and a dull sparkle glinted in Beckett's eye as she shared a knowing smile with Castle at the coffee she was offered. She pulled up Flappy Bird on the phone in her hand and they took turns playing, jesting and jeering. The girls coming up with theories on how Castle had cheated to get a score of 217 while Castle harassed the two girls on their meager high scores in the twenties, the friendly banter hinting towards the normality Beckett had been desiring since she had woken.

* * *

Beckett was only mildly surprised when Lanie came bursting through the door, but flinched as it banged loudly against the wall. The smiles faded from their faces and Kate dug her nails into her palms at the look of sorrow that washed over her friend's face as she took in her condition.

"Oh, sweetie, what happened?" The woman asked softly before disapprovingly adding, "And why didn't you call me?" Beckett had to make a conscious effort not to snap at her friend for her selfishness, instead sheepishly explaining, "I got mugged."

Lane examined her injuries with a trained eye and walked over to her chart, "No!" Kate yelped, biting her lip after the sudden outburst and, concealing her true motives, added as sincerely as possible, "You're not my doctor. I need you to just be my friend now, okay?"

Lanie's eyes narrowed suspiciously but she tentatively set the chart back on the end of the bed before walking over to Beckett's side.

Alexis slid off the side of the bed where she had been playing and moved to the corner of the room.

Lanie took the chair and hesitated before cradling Beckett's hand in her two. Kate wondered at the astounding instincts her love ones had for the contact she needed and could handle. The hand was so safe, she had the control, it did wonders to the fear she was experiencing towards being touched. The warmth of the soft hands on hers sent a small shiver of love up her arm.

Kate sighed softly and started on a lie that would become well practiced of the the next couple of weeks. She fed her friend the truth she remembered up until she had the man on the ground in the alleyway. From there it became a vague but gallant story with a tragic ending that Castle found himself cringing to, but still wishing it held more truth than he knew it did. He would eventually find himself hating this story, each retelling would drive him deeper, darker into his imagination, conjuring up images of an increasingly violent nature. His fascination with murder combined with seething anger budding into intricate schemes designed to make the men pay.

They had a different effect on Beckett. She found solace in the tales, almost convincing herself that they were true until someone's thoughtless pat on the back or too firm handshake brought her right back to that God forsaken mattress. She told this story as often as she could, naively convinced that this could somehow change the past.

Alexis made herself scarce each time she heard the story coming after the first telling, and she became able to detect it from a mile away. She had it worked down to a science. Anytime someone new came over it would take between three and five minutes for greetings to be make and food or flowers safely stashed away and then the story would come out. At this point Alexis would, tactfully but efficiently, leave. The story for her became a sickening excuse and only served to bury Kate's emotional trauma. She felt betrayed by it, it made the world seem so much more humane than the reality.

However the first time, as all first times are, was new territory for all of them. Kate numbly rattled off details, cautiously avoiding any scenarios in which lust for anything beyond her monetary valuable could be interpreted. Rick listed in stunned silence, his mind supplying the faces and in betweens of her lie. Alexis was harshly ripped from the last of her childhood innocence as her eyes translated each articulation in Kate's face. She saw everything there and heard emotions she didn't even know were possible flicker through Kate's anything but steady words and eyes.

Lanie appeared entirely fooled, but they all knew she saw something beyond the story. This is something Beckett would always be grateful for: the respect and time her friend rewarded her in her time of need; knowing, in a way only the closest of friends can, that she needed it.

"I left the precinct a little bit later than I intended so I ducked down a side street. I saw a group of guys comin' at me," Rick flinched at her word choice, "They saw my clutch," His mind supplied body parts in place of the bag, "And demanded that I give it to them. I said no and so they pushed my around a little bit." Rick saw hands groping rather than shoving, "I fought, but there were too many of them." Alexis shuddered, feeling pathetically weak next to the strong woman who had failed. Kate smirked, "I must have gotten one of them pretty badly, though, because they got really angr-" Kate felt the word stall on her tongue as she was transported back to the room.

She cowered there, frozen as the towering statues of men approached her in slow motion. There was burning agony in the junction of her legs. Her gut was clenching and twisting stronger than any cramp. The blood that was seeping out of her filled her with overwhelming shame. Her filth disgusted her. She could barely breath for the hurt; short and rapid pants narrowly serving her oxygen needs. Each one sending a piercing pain through her entire chest. Her vision was spotted, the men came in and out of focus. Cruel voices penetrated her consciousness though the meaning of the words from their horrible mouths escaped her. She saw a dirty face approaching her and the stench of alcohol, sweat and urine invaded her nostrils. His sharp stubble scraped against her soft, swelling cheek as his gruff voice offended her ear, too loud, hot and personal. Anger course through her veins, she clenched her muscles until she was in so much pain a restrained yell burst from her lungs drawing her back to the present.

Agitated, Kate drew her hand away from Lanie and brought it to her head, digging her nails into her scalp and pulling at her hair. Her eyes flitted wildly around the room before finding refuge in the ocean of his.

"Angry. They were angry." She muttered breathlessly. They became momentarily lost in each other's eyes and suddenly she wasn't speaking to Lanie anymore, "They were consumed by it, I saw it in every movement they made, every expression in their faces. I was so utterly powerless against them so I gave up. But they thought I had more money." Her voice shook as she finished, "They hit me until I had nothing left." Lanie picked up Kate's hand and ran her thumb over the ring, saying nothing.

"Before that, though, I fought like a fucking dog." A fierce look came into her eyes as she imagined all the horrible things she wished she could have done to them and provided them as truth.

As Kate finished her story there was a light tap at the door. Alexis took a shaky breath before getting up and welcoming Ryan, Esposito and Martha into the room. The boys hung back while Martha stepped forward, handing Kate the bag of clothes and some flowers she held. Kate handed the items to Castle, thanking the woman and greeting the boys with a timid, "Hey".

Ryan and Esposito's eyes grew as they took in Beckett's obviously serious injuries. Tears sprung to Espo's eyes and Ryan grew pale, rasping, "God, Beckett, what happened?"

It's not as bad as it looks," Beckett replied, looking down, but, knowing the boys weren't fooled, she reluctantly sprung into her story.

Alexis, who had been standing by the door, discreetly left and ran to a bathroom in a nearby empty room. Locking the door, she grasped either side of the sink with each hand. Her eyes bore into each other through the mirror and she brought one hand slowly up and outlined her face where Beckett's injuries were. Tears sprang to her eyes as she spun around, clutching her stomach, to lean her back against the counter. Her body doubled over as she dry heaved, her empathy for Kate physically and emotionally overwhelming her. She began to sob, sinking onto the floor with her knees tight against her chest.

* * *

"We're going to catch these sons of bitches, Beckett, they're gonna pay." Ryan spat as she finished her story, in a Castle like pizzazz. She had given it a near humorous tone that infuriated her fiance but blessed the rest of the room with a knowingly ignorant bliss.

The five carried on an easy conversation about Castle and Beckett's revelations about the case while Martha watched her son and future daughter-in-law tentatively interact. She saw her tense when Castle resumed his hand's position in hers then slowly relax only to tense again once he started tracing patterns with his thumbs. Her eyes caught flashes of fear on Beckett's face every time of of them made sudden movements. She looked like a caged animal: abused and afraid.

The woman also didn't miss Alexis as she slunk back into the room 10 minutes later, face blotchy and eyes red. Martha took charge of the situation, seeing it heading no where. She sent the detectives back to the precinct, thanking them for coming by, and Castle to double check with the nurses that Beckett would be okay to leave and to pick up a wheelchair.

Once the men left the room, Beckett visibly relaxed. She struggled into a sitting position, clumsily guiding each of her stiff legs over the side of the bed and hissing loudly as she put her stomach muscles into use. The effort left her exhausted and turned her face beet red as she muttered out a plea for help from Alexis.

The other women took this as a silent request for privacy, knowing that Beckett's pride was too damaged to allow her the privilege of asking for it herself. They left the room with excuses involving the words 'Castle' and 'help' meaninglessly thrown around.

When Kate and Alexis were alone, Kate sighed deeply and sat still, head hanging, hair covering her face. Alexis stood and closed the door and blinds fully. She then reached into the bag Martha had supplied, pulling out the underwear and slowly walking in front of Kate, the garment hanging awkwardly in her hands.

Kate cleared her throat, "I, uh, can't reach, Alexis."

The girl nodded and reached down, sliding the panties around Kate's ankles. Guiding them gently up her legs, she saw that they were shaking. Alexis squeezed her eyes shut briefly and stopped the ascent at Kate's knees. She reached over and grabbed the jeans that sat nearby. Gently holding her ankle, Alexis slid Kate's foot through the hole in the fabric, mirroring the action on the other side. As she drew them up, the fabric pulled against the dozens of tiny scabs that had formed along her leg. She refrained a shutter at the thought of how the cuts had been formed and pulled the pants tight along her calves but left them with her underwear around her knees.

Kate brought her arms up and lay her hands on Alexis' shoulders before sliding them around into a hug-like embrace, allowing the girl to support her as she attempted to stand. Kate felt her legs wobble but managed to erect herself. She looked up into the air, rebellious tears swelling in her eyes, breath catching in her throat when she said, "I'm going to need you to pull them all the way up, Alexis."

She didn't see the girl nod, but felt as she brought the garments higher and higher up her thighs. She brought them blessedly slowly, but Kate's breathing still quickened with panic each inch they rose

The intimate experience left both the women shaky and Beckett felt unfounded anger building against the girl for being so understanding, a girl that young shouldn't be so understanding. She reigned it in, but couldn't stop the tears from falling onto her face. She sat down with the young woman's help and watched as she walked back to the bag.

"Are you sure you don't want Lanie for this?" Alexis questioned as she eyed the bra and loose sweater her grandmother had brought.

"If you can't," Kate paused, thinking about her word choice, "handle it… you can grab her, but," She clasped Alexis' soft, small hand in her worn, rough ones and looked her tentatively in the eye, "I would prefer you."

Alexis nodded and allowed a solemn, near professional look to cover her face. She made her way to the other side of the bed, facing Kate's back and began to unbutton her gown. Their breaths became a quiet harmony to the rain outside as the young woman's work exposed more and more of Kate's slender back. Alexis relaxed as she saw that there was no evidence of injury, excluding the white of the bandage that wrapped around from the stomach.

Cool air wafted against Kate's torso as she stiffly removed the garment and placed it to her side, reaching for the bra she knew Alexis held. She slid her hands into the loops and brought the straps up to her shoulder blades one at a time. She secured it around her breasts and waited while Alexis clipped the back. Kate scrutinized her face as she walked from behind to her front and caught the exact instant the girl saw her injuries.

"Oh God," Alexis gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She grabbed a tray that had been sitting beside the detective's bed and gagged into it three times before releasing the remnants of last night's dinner onto the platter.

Kate's gut twisted, she had never felt more ashamed about her appearance. Her tongue twisted in her mouth and jaw firmly clenched shut. Apology washed over Alexis' features and she muttered 'sorry', but the damaged had been done. Beckett lifted her chin and sat up a little bit straighter. Alexis slunk over and helped her arms into the sleeves, gently lifting it over her head. Kate duck her head into the hole, fully determined that the piercing pain shooting through her collarbone would not provide Alexis with any more reason to feel sorry for her. When the hoodie was fully on, Beckett let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She worked to keep her breathing steady as she lay back on the bed and let her eyes fall shut.

Alexis slumped on the chair, mentally kicking herself for her reactions and stifling the desire to clean her mouth with a glass of water.

"I need you not to feel sorry for me." Alexis shot her head up and nodded profusely as the words sunk it, uttering, "Yes, of course," a she regarded Kate's shut eyes.

Alexis slowly stood and walked to the window to open the blinds and poked her head out the door to see if her father had returned. She smiled in relief as she saw the man wheeling himself down the hall towards the room with a smirk on his face, Lanie and Martha at his heels, teasingly grumpy looks on theirs. They all froze to gauge Kate's reaction as they entered the room. She looked at him and smiled softly, chuckling, "Oh, Castle."

Castle took in the clothes that she had put on and his face fell, "Kate, you're not aloud to go home. They need to keep you overnight for observation. You have some pretty serious abdominal injuries."

Kate put on a thin, tight smile and replied, "I don't care, Castle. I'll go home with Lanie and stay with her for a couple of days if that's what it takes. She'll take good care of me." Looking to her friend for confirmation.

"I don't know, Kate, that might not be a good idea," the woman started before being cut off by Beckett's glare. "Of course, if we keep a close eye on you, you should be fine." She finished quickly.

Martha quickly ran and grabbed the appropriate paperwork so that Kate could leave against doctor's advice and in thirty minutes and some excellent persuasion skills, they were helping Beckett into the wheelchair and wheeling her down to the car park.

Castle hung back while the women got Beckett settled in the passenger seat. He then stepped forward and crouched down in front of her, gently taking her face between his hands. They became enthralled in each other's eyes and when he leaned forward and planted a lingering and tender kiss on her forehead, she did not feel afraid.


End file.
